online marketplacehttp://www.maximumpc.com/taxonomy/term/18716/
enGoogle Music: Everything We Knowhttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/google_music_everything_we_know
<!--paging_filter--><p style="text-align:center;"><img src="/files/u139222/googlemusic-header.jpg" width="620" height="349" /></p>
<p>After cautiously watching Apple to see how this whole "downloading music" thing panned out, Google will unveil its online music store <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5858792/google-music-event-will-apparently-go-to-eleven" target="_blank">this afternoon</a>. Will it become your new favorite place to grab songs? Maybe! Here's all the (rumored) dirt.</p>
<h3>What songs are available?</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-16/google-chases-apple-music-store-eight-years-too-late-as-itunes-wins-tech.html" target="_blank">Not all of them</a>. Unlike iTunes, which has deals signed with all major labels, Google has reportedly only inked agreements with Sony, Universal, and EMI. That leaves out Warner, which is a big, big hole: Cher, Cee Lo, Diddy, Gucci Mane, Green Day, The Prodigy, Van Halen—the list is long. Lots of huge acts, dead and alive, are part of Warner's harem, and if the rumors are true, you won't have any access to them (yet) via Google Music. Which is a bummer.</p>
<h3>How much will songs cost?</h3>
<p><a class="thickbox" href="/files/u139222/googlemusic-use1-big.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="/files/u139222/googlemusic-use1-small.jpg" width="250" height="207" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 10px 15px;" /></a><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-16/google-chases-apple-music-store-eight-years-too-late-as-itunes-wins-tech.html" target="_blank">Bloomberg is reporting</a> rumored pricing between $0.99 and $1.29 per track—which would place Google squarely in Apple and Amazon territory. No surprise here—major labels aren't about to change the pricing schemes they've been battling over for almost a decade.</p>
<p>Oh, hey, songs might also be free! Or one song every day will, <a href="http://phandroid.com/2011/11/14/google-music-store-screenshots-suggest-android-market-inclusion-free-song-of-the-day/" target="_blank">claims Phandroid</a>, similar to Apple's free song giveaways, which are usually crap.</p>
<h3 style="clear:both;">How will I use it?</h3>
<p>As it stands now <a href="http://music.google.com/" target="_blank">in beta</a>, Google Music is just a cloud locker for the stuff you already have—a way to listen to your library from any computer or via <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5851241/gmusic-is-a-native-google-music-player-for-the-iphone" target="_blank">iOS</a>/Android <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5847763/google-music-4-for-android-leaks-with-a-new-better+looking-interface" target="_blank">app</a>.</p>
<p><a class="thickbox" href="/files/u139222/googlemusic-use2-big.png" target="_blank"><img src="/files/u139222/googlemusic-use2-small.png" width="300" height="155" style="float: left; margin: 0 15px 10px 0;" /></a>There's also a built-in, iTunes-style player. Expect that to stay, although boosted functionality and/or a total redesign of the current iteration aren't out of the question. After all, this thing has been in beta for a while.</p>
<p>We also might see an interesting twist! <a href="http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/sony-on-board-for-google-music-launch-tomorrow-1005526352.story" target="_blank">Billboard is reporting</a> Google Music might sport some neat sharing options, tied in (of course) with Google+. Whether this means simply sharing your playlist, a la Spotify and Facebook, or actually letting friends listen to songs you've purchased, is unknown. <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57323340-93/google-said-to-be-launching-music-service-next-week/?tag=mncol" target="_blank">CNET says</a> it's the latter, though: an option to give your friends a one-play taste of anything you buy.</p>
<h3 style="clear:both;">How is it different?</h3>
<p>Here's where we have to speculate. If Google Music wants to stand out as a third great place to buy dollar songs online (after Apple and Amazon), they'll have to push what their competitors don't: social. Ping is a complete joke (Or is it even that? People usually talk about jokes), and Amazon has zero social action.</p>
<p>Google, though, has Google+. The service is mighty lackluster at the moment, outside of fanboys and the niche geek community, but turning it into a music distribution network could be clutch. Imagine an easy way to download that newest Waka Flocka Flame (oh, wait, no, he's signed with Warner) and then easily drop it into your friend's (or friends'!) face via Plus, giving you all an instant medium to talk about how great or horrible it is. Google+ is about as thrilling as a nursery home staring contest right now, so adding a social music aspect could light a spark. The existing cloud storage would also keep Google on pace with iTunes Match and Amazon's MP3 Cloud Drive. With Google, odds are you'll be able to buy a song, download it to your device, and also stream it from anywhere in the world. No word if the existing 20,000 song cloud cap will stay in place, however.</p>
<p>But at the very least, Google Music will mean there are three viable online music options, instead of two. And competition is always a good thing.</p>
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<p><em><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><a href="http://gizmodo.com/" target="_blank">Gizmodo&nbsp;</a>is the world’s most fun technology website, focused on gadgets and how they make our lives better, worse, and more absurd.</span></em></p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/google_music_everything_we_know#commentscloud storageGooglegoogle musicmusic apponline marketplacestreaming musicFeaturesWed, 16 Nov 2011 22:12:35 +0000Sam Biddle, Gizmodo21363 at http://www.maximumpc.comMicrosoft Announces Web-Based Marketplace for Windows Phonehttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/microsoft_announces_web-based_marketplace_windows_phone
<!--paging_filter--><p>In conjunction with the launch of Windows Phone 7.5 Microsoft has updated <a href="http://www.windowsphone.com" target="_blank">windowsphone.com</a>. The new site includes a web-based Marketplace for Windows Phone. The new Marketplace allows you to browse and purchase apps from any PC without the need for software. As an additional benefit, the Marketplace provides a history of your app purchases, giving you an easy way to find apps that you've used in the past.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="/files/u139222/wp7marketplace02.jpg" width="514" height="480" /></p>
<p>More than just another app store, the new windowsphone.com also acts as a central point for many of the services that integrate into the phone. Images and documents synched to SkyDrive, as well as your XBox Live avatar and gamer score are prominently displayed in the 'My Phone' area of the site. Microsoft even provides the ability to track your phone's location and gives you the option to ring, lock, or erase your phone in the unfortunate case that your device is lost or stolen.</p>
<p>The new features on windowsphone.com are freely available for all Windows Phone devices, not just those which have received the <a href="http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/microsoft_releases_windows_phone_75">7.5 update</a>.</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/microsoft_announces_web-based_marketplace_windows_phone#commentsappsappstoremicrosoftonline marketplaceWindowsWindows Phone 7windows phone 7.5NewsSmartphonesWed, 28 Sep 2011 18:13:22 +0000Tim Ferrill20561 at http://www.maximumpc.com